Romney would beat Obama in a head-to-head competition, the poll found, surveying both Republicans and Democrats. The former Massachusetts governor got 47 percent of the vote, while Obama got only 43 percent.

Palin and Newt Gingrich top the list of candidates that Republican voters “would not vote for under any circumstances.” 23 percent said they would never vote for Palin, and 16 percent said they would never vote for Gingrich.

The poll surveyed 773 people – 357 likely Republican primary voters and 263 likely Democratic primary voters. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

HAMPTON – Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney met with locals from Hampton Tuesday, July 5, to talk about what he claims are failed policies of President Obama that have worsened the economy, and about what he would do if elected president.

Romney met with roughly a dozen residents and business owners during a lunch at the Galley Hatch to hear what they consider the biggest barriers to a thriving economy.

Those in attendance talked about how the economy has impacted their businesses and some said they even fear of the country heading into a double-dip recession.

Romney said if elected president he would concentrate on seven areas to reinvigorate the economy including having tax rates for employers that are competitive with other countries, and trade policies that work “for us and not just the people we trade (with).”
[...]State Rep. Chris Nevins, R-Hampton, said he was impressed with Romney.

“I really believe this man has the capability to be the next president of the United States. His business background, intelligence, experience history all point to that direction,” said Nevins.

Romney lays down what he describes as seven rules of successful economies.

1. Make employer tax rates competitive, to attract businesses. He argues that U.S. corporate tax rates are now the second-highest in the world after Japan and must come down. (This does not include the state tax burden, which puts the U.S. over the top in most states.)

2. Streamline regulations and create a bureaucracy geared to cooperating with the private sector.

3. Embrace fair trade policies, and work to eliminate unacceptable infractions, such as China’s persistently undervalued currency and theft of intellectual property.

4. Energy policy must be practical; no country should be spending money needlessly on energy imports.

5. Any successful country must have an unquestioned rule of law.

6. Immigration and education policies must ensure the availability of extraordinary human capital.

Mitt Romney stands in front of fence separating the U.S. from Mexico with former CA Assemblyman Tony Strickland (now CA Senator) and CA Senator Mark Wyland in San Diego, CA (8/13/07). Yesterday, Romney received endorsements from a group of CA politicians, including Strickland and Wyland.

Mitt Romney is solidifying his status as front-runner in the GOP presidential nomination race. On Thursday, he picked up the backing of a group of Californians[...]

That includes House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon and Rep. Mary Bono Mack of the state’s contingent in Washington. The group also comprises state Senate GOP Leader Bob Dutton, state Sens. Tony Strickland, Sharon Runner, Bob Huff, Sam Blakeslee and Mark Wyland; and Assemblymen Paul Cook and Jim Silva.

McKeon cited Romney’s strength on economic issues in his endorsement. “President Obama’s policies have failed California and the country,” McKeon said. “Mitt Romney has a proven record of job creation in both the private sector and as a governor.” McKeon also supported Romney in 2008.

(emphasis added)

Bob Dutton also added: “Mitt Romney knows how the economy works and he has the much-needed experience to lead the country out of the economic downturn.”

Mitt Romney has a double digit lead for the Republican Presidential nomination in Florida, further cementing his front runner status in the wake of Mike Huckabee’s exit from the race.

Romney is at 27% to 17% for Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, 10% for Herman Cain, 8% for Newt Gingrich, 7% for Ron Paul, 4% for Tim Pawlenty, and 2% for Jon Huntsman.

Romney now has the outright lead in PPP’s most recent polls in all 5 of the key early Republican contests: in addition to the Florida advantage he’s up by 9 in South Carolina, 6 in Iowa, 15 in Nevada, and 23 in New Hampshire.
[...]
Romney’s Florida lead is built on a familiar formula. He’s not winning with the far right voters who constitute a plurality of the Republican electorate, but he’s at least staying competitive with them. Meanwhile he’s dominating the field with moderates (a 36-15 lead over Palin) and with voters who identify themselves as just ‘somewhat conservative’ (a 32-15 advantage over Bachmann.)

While Bachmann’s rising with Florida Republicans, Gingrich has tanked. On our last poll he was tied for the lead with Romney at 18%. Now he finds himself in 5th place and with less than half as much support at 8%. Beyond Gingrich other people who have to be seen as losers on this poll are Huntsman and Pawlenty. Huntsman’s 2% standing is consistent with how he’s polling with pretty much every group of voters except beltway journalists. And Pawlenty’s 4% in Florida matches his 4% in South Carolina- he doesn’t have any resonance yet with GOP voters in the south.

Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race, is in strong shape with his party’s rank and file as the 2012 nomination race enters a more heated phase.

Among Republicans, 59 percent hold a favorable view of the former Massachusetts governor, according to a Bloomberg National Poll, while only 16 percent view him negatively. He’s also more popular than unpopular with independent voters by a 10 percentage point margin.

While the poll shows more than half of Republicans are dissatisfied with the current choices in the field, an overwhelming 85 percent want candidates seeking their support to focus almost entirely on economic issues, not social ones.

Romney, 64, has made the economy the centerpiece of his campaign as he again pursues the White House following his unsuccessful 2008 attempt for the Republican nomination — a race in which he focused more on social issues.

“Romney is threading the needle the way a seasoned candidate knows he must,” said J. Ann Selzer, president of Des Moines, Iowa-basedSelzer & Co., which conducted the June 17-20 poll. “He’s saying enough of the things Republicans want to hear while holding the interest of independents.”

(emphasis added)

Interesting numbers regarding the Tea Party…

Tea Party Disapproval

Negative attitudes about the Tea Party are growing, with 45 percent saying they have an unflattering view of the political movement, the highest level since the poll first asked the question in March 2010. Among independents, 50 percent view the Tea Party unfavorably.

Among all poll participants, Romney was viewed favorably by 37 percent and unfavorably by 31 percent, with 32 percent saying they are unsure. President Barack Obama’s favorable rating among the entire poll sample was 54 percent, while 42 percent viewed him unfavorably.

To read Bloomberg’s results on other candidates, the religious issue, insurance mandate, and more click here.

Lansing — Support in Michigan for native son Mitt Romney is far ahead of the backing for any other GOP presidential hopefuls, according to a new statewide poll.

The poll was taken after Romney’s June 9 visit to Detroit and the June 13 GOP debate in which he made clear his opposition to the federal bailouts of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, which many credit with saving the automakers and their suppliers.

Attorney General Bill Schuette, Romney’s statewide chairman in Michigan, said he’s “very pleased” by the numbers, but it’s early and “the most important poll is the one in 2012.”

The poll was commissioned by the bipartisan Lansing public relations firm Lambert, Edwards & Associates and The Perricone Group and conducted June 16-17 by Denno Research. Chuck Perricone is a former GOP House Speaker. Dennis Denno is a former Democratic communications expert.

Mitt Romney is getting some good news as he arrives to spend three days fundraising in California this week: He holds a solid lead over his 2012 GOP presidential rivals among the state’s Republican voters, a new Field Poll shows.

Romney is preferred by 25 percent of registered GOP voters, giving the former Massachusetts governor a double-digit lead over each of his challengers.[...]

Romney’s closest competition comes from two candidates who haven’t even joined the race to deny Democratic President Obama a second term: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (17 percent), and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (10 percent). If Giuliani is taken out of the field, Romney’s lead widens – to 30 percent and a more than 2-to-1 lead over Palin at 12 percent in second position, the poll shows.

The poll was taken June 3-13 among 950 registered voters, including 322 registered Republicans. The margin of error is 3.3 percentage points on the general sample, and 5.7 percentage points on the GOP sample.

The former Massachusetts governor returned Friday to Las Vegas to collect more campaign donations during a $2,500-per-person fundraiser at a Lawry’s restaurant.

He also named Congressman Joe Heck and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki as his Nevada campaign co-chairs.

Krolicki told reporters at the fundraiser that Romney is best positioned among the Republican presidential hopefuls to fix the economy.
[...]
He is the only major GOP presidential contender focusing on Nevada so far. He has made several visits to the Silver State in recent months.

Romney attended a private campaign fundraiser breakfast in downtown Boise Monday morning before heading off to another event in Idaho Falls.

Romney is no stranger to Idaho. In the last presidential election cycle, Romney made several stops to the Gem State to raise money and support in his bid for the GOP nomination.

The Spokesman-Review reports that Romney also announced his statewide steering committee. The list includes Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, among other top Idaho Republicans.

Mitt Romney announces candidacy for President of the United States at Scamman Farms in Stratham, New Hampshire. June 2, 2011

Only 16 days since Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for President of the United States and June is being called…

Mitt’s very good month.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has enjoyed an impressive last month in the presidential race as his strengths, his opponents’ weaknesses and an economy-centered national debate have combined to solidify his status as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

The new NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll affirms Romney’s strengthened position. He stood at 30 percent in a hypothetical 2012 matchup followed by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin at 14 percent and businessman Herman Cain at 12 percent. No other candidate received double digit support.

So, what’s gone right for Romney over the past month?

As always in politics, movement never happens because of just one factor. Here are a few that have likely fueled Romney’s rise:

* The May jobs report showed just 54,000 jobs created and the unemployment rate moving up to 9.1 percent, allowing Romney to double-down on his attacks against President Obama’s fiscal policies.

* Romney was solid and serious during Monday night’s debate, a performance that put him on most post-game “winners” lists. The stumbles in that same debate by former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who tried to make up for lost time on Thursday, further elevated Romney.

This is what a well-run presidential campaign looks like. Unlike in 2008, Romney isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, he’s picking his moments and, like the debate on Monday, performing well when he does wade in. His upticking poll numbers reflect the steadiness of his effort over the past month. Romney’s path to the nomination is still a complicated one — especially for a frontrunner — but he sits in the catbird’s seat at the moment. (Previous ranking: 1)

Romney and Bachmann are tied among primary voters who say they are Tea Party members, with 26% support each. Romney holds a 36% to 16% lead over the congresswoman among non-members. Most primary voters regard all the candidates with the exception of Huntsman as conservative, but Bachmann is seen as the most conservative.
[...]
The survey of 1,000 Likely GOP Primary Voters was conducted on June 14, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. Likely GOP Primary Voters include both Republicans and unaffiliated voters likely to vote in a GOP Primary. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. [...]

For the third week in a row, a generic Republican candidate leads President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. But while 54% of Likely Voters nationwide think Obama is qualified to be president, Romney is the only 2012 Republican hopeful that a sizable number of voters feel that way about.

[...] Romney continuing to hold his lead over the Republican field in a nationwide survey, even on a trial heat ballot with so-called Republican fantasy candidates like Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Jeb Bush.

While the rankings don’t change much without Palin in the race; Romney and Bachmann benefit the most:

Romney – 27%
Cain – 20%
Bachmann – 13%
Gingrich – 12%
Pawlenty – 10%

The poll surveyed 544 usual Republican primary voters nationwide, using an automated phone survey over the period between June 9 and June 12. That means that the results pre-date the debate on Monday in New Hampshire, of which Romney and Bachmann were declared the big winners. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.2 percent.

“I refuse to believe that America is just another place on the map with a flag. We stand for freedom, opportunity and hope.” – Mitt Romney

Thousands of Romney supporters on Twitter and Facebook were asked why they believe in America. After all the responses were gathered, the Romney campaign created this eye-catching word cloud which shows the words most frequently used by respondents…

From your responses it’s important to note that, even though we all come from very different walks of life, our belief in America is centered on the same core principles. Not surprisingly, the words freedom, hope, and opportunity were some of the most common.

For Americans, those words are everyday aspects of the life we enjoy—but for those who’ve never had America’s chance at living them—those are more than just words.

Thanks for your feedback, everyone. We’ll continue to use Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to ask for your thoughts and input as we move forward.

Romney’s ‘word cloud’ image is a clever, eye-catching visual summarization of YOUR responses. The Romney campaign is eager for your feedback; they will continue to use Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms of communication to reach out – so take advantage of the new media!

Obama’s boost in the polls after killing Bin Laden has turned to smoke as Americans continue to deal with the grim reality of a worsening economy.

Almost nine in 10 rate the economy negatively. Americans say our nation is seriously on the wrong track by two to one. No wonder there has been lots of buzz today about the Washington Post/ABC poll released this morning. Romney has pulled ahead of President Obama by three points and significantly outperforms his GOP opponents:

Mitt Romney 49% Barack Obama 46%

Barack Obama 50% Newt Gingrich 44%

Barack Obama 50% Tim Pawlenty 41%

Barack Obama 50% Jon Huntsman 40%

Barack Obama 51% Michele Bachmann 40%

Barack Obama 55% Sarah Palin 40%

For Americans, the economy has really taken front and center and desperate Americans are looking for help. Romney’s expertise is looking better and better. 47% of registered voters now say they will NOT vote for Obama.

It’s also no wonder that big donors and bundlers continue to put their money on Governor Romney.

As he ramps up his 2012 presidential bid, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has been actively recruiting major donors who did not support him four years ago — with impressive results.

Romney, who collected more than $100 million in 2008, has recruited at least 18 heavy-hitters (or “whales” in the political fundraising parlance) to help him secure the nomination this time around.

“There have been a great number of new individuals that have agreed to be a member of Gov. Romney’s finance leadership team,” said national finance chairman Spencer Zwick. Zwick added that in nearly every case, the new members of the Romney fundraising inner circle have already hosted (or will soon host) an event for the former governor.

This is an impressive roster of donors:

The list of new names is loaded with major contributors who backed Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in 2008 including: lobbyist Wayne Berman, who served as McCain’s national finance co-chair, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, New York Yankees president Randy Levine, oil magnate Kit Moncrief, philanthropist Mica Mosbacher, former Ambassador to Spain George Argyros and former Ambassador to Belgium Sam Fox.

Romney also has two major donors previously committed to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and his un-pursued campaign — attorneys Dan Dumezich and Bob Grand — as well as two people who had planned to back Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s presidential campaign: Austin Barbour, the nephew of the governor, and Bobbie Kilberg, the president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the 1993 lieutenant governor nominee in Virginia.

Lew Eisenberg, a major GOP money man who served as the co-chairman of the 2008 Republican National Convention, is also on board with Romney, as is Texas homebuilder Bob Perry, who has used his wealth to fund a number of conservative-aligned groups including Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in the 2004 election.

Perhaps most interestingly, Skybridge Capital managing partner Anthony Scarramucci, a former Obama donor, has signed on with Romney. (Scarramucci was a law school classmate of Obama but engaged in a high profile back-and-forth with the president in a town hall meeting last fall.)

Here’s where we can help:

But what Romney is clearly hoping for when the 2012 presidential hopefuls report their fundraising totals on July 15 is a total staggering enough to not only cow his rivals, but make clear to fundraising fence-sitters that the time is now to get behind him.
[...]Romney’s expanded finance team sends a clear message: He is not content to simply replicate the fundraising successes he had in 2008. He wants to push well beyond them. His rivals now need to try to stay within financial shouting distance.

(emphasis added)

The Gov is depending on our support NOW. If you donated on his big fundraiser day, thank you! It’s time to give again. If you weren’t able to donate, perhaps you can determine a way to budget in a donation now. Any amount helps! This is the time to put our money where our mouths are. Donate here.

scroll to the bottom of this post for part 2 of the Piers Morgan interview with Ann and Mitt…

Right before the commercial break preceding the beginning of the interview with Gov. Romney, Piers Morgan segues from the Anthony Weiner story by saying Gov. Romney might be the cleanest politician in America. Part 1 of the interview with Piers Morgan was tonight and Part 2 is tomorrow. CNN has only released the following online so far, but we’ll post both parts in their entirety as they become available.

I have to say this interview was exciting. Piers Morgan is a tough interview and the more he pushed and prodded Mitt, the better Mitt ended up doing. It must get boring answering the same questions interview after interview and Gov. Romney really seemed engaged and excited to be tested a bit more than he usually is in interviews. I love that Mitt is using the argument that our cartoon so well illustrates a lot more now.

As reported here, PPP is going to release a poll of South Carolinians that shows some very good news for Mitt tomorrow! Interesting that the media continues to say Mitt is such a weak front-runner than shouldn’t even bother competing in Iowa or South Carolina. Tomorrow’s poll will probably show that reality tells a different story than the media has been.

Given the choices of Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney, who would you most like to see as the Republican candidate for President next year?

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads in Iowa according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling. The poll was conducted between 5/22/11-5/30/11 and included 491 Iowa Republicans. The full results of the poll will be released Wednesday morning, but MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show received an exclusive partial first look (from which I got my screen grab, see left) of the top three contenders.

Among Iowa Republicans, presumably likely to vote in the crucial Iowa Caucus, the first electoral contest of the primary season, Mitt Romney placed first with 21%, followed by a two-way tie for second with Sarah Palin and Herman Cain, the Georgian founder of Godfather’s Pizza, at 15%.
[...]
The PPP survey adds further credence to Romney’s reputation as the nominal nominee. Romney now leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, whose primary follows Iowa’s, as a CNN/WMUR survey published in late May had him as the preferred candidate of 32% of Republicans in the New England state.

[...]Meanwhile, Romney continues to raise money, collect important backers and ride along in first place in the polls.

Why?

Well maybe it is all name ID.

Or maybe — does this give voters too much credit? — they are thinking about the close match between skills Romney has and the skills needed in a president.

What do presidents do?

Among other things:

– Presidents set goals and priorities. That’s easily said, but hard to do. The natural temptation is to accumulate goals and priorities atop each other. (See Clinton, Bill, State of the Union addresses of.) But if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. (See Clinton, Bill, presidency of.) To govern is to choose. To choose requires extreme mental discipline: This I do first, this I do second if I can, this must wait for third, these next 997 things probably don’t get done at all.

– Presidents align means with ends. Congress is the place where the American people register their wishes: Generous Medicare and Social Security benefits and low taxes; global military predominance but no casualties; perfect airline security with no personal inconvenience. It’s the president’s job to bring the system into balance, to set budgets, to force tradeoffs.

– Presidents are deal-makers. There’s a story told about Harry Truman in the last days of his presidency, awaiting the transition to Dwight Eisenhower after the election of 1952. Truman supposedly said to an aide, “Poor Ike. He’ll sit at this desk. He’ll say ‘do this’ and ‘do that.’ And nothing will happen! It won’t be like the Army at all.” The president cannot tell Congress what to do. He can’t tell a governor what to do. He can’t even safely tell the CIA what to do. (If they don’t like it, they’ll leak against him.) And that’s even before we get to foreign governments. A president doesn’t get what he wants. A president gets what he negotiates.

Those requirements happen to look a lot like the skills Mitt Romney brings to the job. And they may be the skills for which Republicans — and Americans — most yearn at the moment:

– The war in Libya, now dragging on for months with no visible strategic goal, reveals an ominous failure of priority-setting.

– The terrifying national debt represents the country’s accumulated inability to reconcile what it wants and what it is prepared to pay for.

– The failure to lift the debt ceiling — and the intensifying risk of a default on the nation’s debts — shows a staggering failure of the Obama administration’s deal-making.
[...]Is Obama vaporous and utopian? Maybe what Americans are hearkening for is the analytic ability and negotiating prowess of the former CEO of America’s most successful management consulting firm. And just possibly, Republican primary voters have the self-control not to let the controversy over Romney’s health care record cloud their respect for their front-runner’s genuine executive abilities.

Don’t miss signing up for Governor Romney’s LIVESTREAM presidential announcement here. MRC will be hosting a chat party here tomorrow to mark this happy and long-awaited occasion. We invite all Romney supporters to join us! Check back for more details. Also, it’s been reported that Mitt will be on the Sean Hannity show tomorrow evening – so it’s going to be a very full and fantastic day!

After The Gov launches his campaign tomorrow, we look forward to a summer filled with plenty of Romney sizzle!

UPDATE: June is jumpin’ for Romney; he’s never been one to let any grass grow under his feet! On Friday morning, June 3rd, the day after he announces his run for the White House, he’s holding his first Town Hall meeting. It will be held at 8:30 AM EDT at the University of New Hampshire Manchester. And, that evening he’ll be speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington D.C. Way to go, Mitt!